Saturday, February 2, 2008

Ramping up for the last leg of treatment

Radiation!
I have spent the past week prepping for radiation. It's amazing how much prep work goes into radiation. Technology is so good - they can radiate only my breast and axillary lymph area without it affecting any of my other organs. To do so, requires a lot of prep.

First, I had a breast area cat scan for them to determine where my heart, lungs, etc are in relation to the area they will be radiating. Then, I went to the "simulation" room at Pluta where they used the cat scan and radiation / Xray equipment to mark the exact areas on the machine and my body where I will be radiated. This helps so that the machines are set to my exact measurements each and every time I go for radiation. Lastly, I went to lay under the actual radiation machine, ensuring the measurement and markings are correct, the machine is set and more Xrays were taken.

None of this was painful. I was just surprised at the prep work involved! Radiation is an individualized process that is an exact science.

So - Monday begins my 28 sessions of radiation - 8am every day at Pluta, M-F! I should be done on March 12, 2008. The sessions last about 15 min each day.

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